BURY have announced a lasting tribute to the man who fought so hard to ensure the club's survival.

The Main Stand at Bury's Gigg Lane ground will be renamed after Neville Neville, who passed away in Australia in August.

The former director and club stalwart spearheaded the Save Our Shakers campaign when Bury went into administration in 2002 and helped convince current chairman Stewart Day to take over the club in 2013.

The news was announced today at a lunch in honour of Neville at Hotel Football, which is co-owned by his sons Gary and Phil.

“If it wasn’t for Nev, quite simply Bury FC wouldn’t be here today,” said Day at the lunch.

“There could be no more fitting tribute than to have the Neville Neville stand as a permanent reminder of the enormous contribution he made to this club.

“This honour is, quite frankly, nothing more than Nev deserves. His legacy lives on every time we play a game and the Neville Neville stand will also ensure that his name will forever remain at the heart of the club he fought successfully to save.”

Neville’s widow, Jill, was guest of honour at the lunch along with daughter Tracey and Gary. Phil was unable to attend as he was in Spain, where he is assistant manager at Valencia.

Neville looked after the commercial affairs at Gigg Lane for many years and, with that in mind, the club felt it would be fitting to welcome sponsors for the new stand.

"Whilst the focus is very much about honouring a great club servant, I am particularly pleased that the stand will allow associate sponsors to affiliate their names with Neville’s, on the stand,” Day added.

“It is exactly what he would have wanted – a fitting memorial but also a way of raising vital funds for the club he loved.”